When I finally came to I wasn't where I expected to be. Instead of my dark little hole in the basement I was in the asylum's Intensive Care Unit. Wesley and Walter had done more damage than I thought. But more surprising than my injuries was who was sitting at the foot of my bed.
"Hello Jonathan. Are you ready to begin our session?"
There sat Harleen Quinzel, clipboard in hand. She looked as beautiful as ever, though she was sporting a bandage on her forehead from when I had slammed it into the floor.
"What do you want Doctor Quinzel?
"To help you Jonathan."
"If you could be more specific I would be appreciative. Help me how?"
"I want to rid you of the spilt personality that was responsible for our little altercation last week."
As I mentioned earlier, I've never called him a split personality. He is much more than that. I wasn't upset with Doctor Quinzel for calling him such, but it angered me that she would even mention him at all.
"You think he's the reason I attacked you? Well I'm so sorry to disappoint you Doctor Quinzel, but I did it because I wanted to."
On her face was a look of puzzlement. Obviously she had hypothesized that the abuse I suffered had led me to develop a more violent personality which was responsible for every bad thing I had done.
"Oh I'm sorry. Did you think that I was a good person? That all the bad things I've done were his fault? Were you under the impression that my other actually took possession of my body? You're mistaken Doctor Quinzel. All he does is make suggestions, and during this last year he hasn't even done that. I do what I do for one reason and one reason only. I enjoy it."
"So he speaks to you?"
"No he just…"
She had her pen in hand, clipboard at the ready. But I wouldn't be so cooperative this time. She had nothing to offer me to make me talk. At least that what I thought.
"Why should I keep talking to you Doctor Quinzel? I already know what scares you more than anything, so you really hold no more interest for me."
"I can let you practice again."
"Come again? You said I could practice medicine again?"
"Doctor Elwes has driven away most of the other doctors, at least all the ones who care about helping people. I know you can help people Jonathan. I can get you sessions with the patients everyone has given up on."
I thought her proposal over for a moment. There was no way she would actually let me practice my own kind of medicine, but I did have a passion for psychiatry. However I wasn't passionate enough about it to want to continue those pointless discussions. Though before I could tell her no I felt an all too familiar scratching behind my eyes.
"AGREE CRANE! TELL HER YESSSSSSSSS! WEEEEEEE CAN USE THEM!"
It wasn't very often that he spoke coherently. More often than not he would just make terrible animalistic screams from the back of my mind. The louder he screamed the more I knew he wanted something. But when he actually spoke, that's when I knew he truly wanted something.
'WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN? I THOUGHT YOU HAD ABANDONED ME!'
"IIIIIIII WILL NEVER LEAVE YOU CRAAAAAAAANE! I WASSSSSSS WAITING! NOW ANSWER!
I then realized that Doctor Quinzel was still staring at me, and that several minutes had passed.
"Very well Doctor Quinzel. I accept your proposition. I'll answer every question you ask as long as you let me treat the most dangerous inmates Arkham has."
"Great! Alright first I want to know about what the rest of your childhood was…"
"No, No, No Doctor Quinzel. We'll continue next week. Right now I have someone to catch up with."
I rolled over, closed my eyes, and let him swallow me up.
